By SCER Staff

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is hosting the 2018 Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Advanced Studies Institute on Sustainable Urban Freight Systems (VASI-SUFS) Aug. 4-11. The VASI-SUFS will bring together a select group of junior faculty, post-docs, and advanced Ph.D. students who are conducting research on sustainable urban freight systems. The main goal is to develop a new generation of researchers and practitioners with a holistic view of urban freight systems issues and their solutions that, ultimately, will bring about new paradigms of freight transportation research, education, and practice that foster sustainable urban freight systems (UFS).

The VASI-SUFS is organized and supported by the Rensselaer VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems; University of Southern California -MetroFreight/VREF; University of Gothenburg – Urban Freight Platform; and the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations.

The main objective of the program is to provide advanced graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty with the opportunity to interact with senior researchers, and learn first-hand how researchers from other countries approach UFS research (methods, data, research results, and new topic areas).

“It is our hope that the participants will walk away with a solid understanding of the interplay between UFS, the environment, the economy, and its role in the betterment of local communities,” said Jose Holguin-Veras, conference organizer and the William H. Hart Professor and director of the VREF Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems at Rensselaer.

There are currently 65 researchers from 20 different countries registered to attend. To learn more about the program, visit https://coe-sufs.org/wordpress/2018/02/vasi-sufs/.

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About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is America’s first technological research university. Rensselaer encompasses five schools, 32 research centers, more than 145 academic programs, and a dynamic community made up of more than 7,900 students and more than 100,000 living alumni. Rensselaer faculty and alumni include more than 145 National Academy members, six members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, six National Medal of Technology winners, five National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With nearly 200 years of experience advancing scientific and technological knowledge, Rensselaer remains focused on addressing global challenges with a spirit of ingenuity and collaboration.